Haskins, 24, died Saturday morning when he was hit by a dump truck while walking on a South Florida freeway. He had trained in the area with other Pittsburgh Steelers players. Haskins played for Ohio State from 2016 to 2018, and became a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in his final season, setting a Big Ten record for passing yards (4,831), touchdowns (50) and total offensive yards (4,939). . He then became the first Ohio State general to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1982. 2 About “He was 11 years old, he was going through this facility and he said, ‘This is what I’re going to do,’ and then he did,” said Day, who served as Ohio State’s attack coordinator, general trainer and interim coach. during Haskins’s last two seasons with the program. “This is the legacy he is going to leave behind: You can set a dream and a goal and achieve it and then break many records that year in 2018. He had a dream and he chased it and he did it.” Day said plans to honor Haskins, both in Saturday’s spring break and in the future, are still being finalized and will be announced later. “The Buckeye nation meant a lot to Dwayne,” Day said. “Having everyone there on Saturday is important. And we will make sure we do things the right way and then move on, we just want to make sure we do it the right way and think it through.” Haskins maintained close ties with players, coaches and others in and around the Ohio State program, including Day’s son, RJ Day, who said Haskins took RJ to a high school football game and was “like a big man.” brother “for him. “We were in the car the other day, in a small camp [RJ] “We went and went back and tried to wrap our minds around it, and I really had nothing good to say to him,” Day said. “I could not understand what I was thinking about all this. It’s very confusing, sad, but it makes you hug your loved ones a little more and just realize how fragile life is. “But such a thing is difficult to explain.” Day said he would miss Haskins’ calm and confident demeanor before the games, as he often relaxed Day’s nerves. Haskins brought a compassionate approach to those around him and a smile that his teammates and coaches will never forget. His first season in 2018 under Day’s tutelage was to succeed Urban Meyer as head coach. “I don’t think any of us would be here and the program would be where it is, without Dwayne the way it all happened,” Day said. “This is life. There are certain moments, crucial moments in your career and life, where things can go one way or the other. At that moment, Dwayne was there and as everything trembled during that time. season, we are here now, and it was an important part of that. “ Day had spoken to Haskins about a “restart” of his career with the Steelers and thought the team was the perfect place for the general to grow and evolve. Although Haskins left the State of Ohio in early 2019, he remained in contact with many people in the program, including some players. “I am 44 years old now and I do not know how to feel,” Day said. “Certainly if you are 18, 19, 20 years old, you just have a hard time with all this, you get confused. You try to rely on each other as best you can. What you can not do is do something or say something that you think will do it all. “It’s not going to happen. You have to move on.”
